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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think some people struggle to lose weight because food is no longer seen as fuel?

72 replies

Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 15:33

I am not talking about people with any medical conditions which makes it complex.

People eat for other reasons other than to fuel their bodies. Maybe it is comfort, they are upset and a whole slew of other reasons.

Food is not seen as fuel but filling a gap in some way emotionally and mentally.

Of course there is nothing wrong with food being pleasurable and going out for dinners etc. But I am talking about people who are regularly eating more than their bodies need.

OP posts:
SometimesCalmPerson · 19/02/2025 17:04

I’m going against the grain because I think plenty of people see food as fuel. It’s much more than that at a societal level because so many occasions are focused around it, but as individuals it’s perfectly possible to not be that bothered about food but still enjoy it.

Since the injections became a thing, we’ve heard more people talking about ‘food noise’ as being something that controls their thoughts and feelings around food. If we can accept that some people have that and injections can switch it off, then it should be possible to imagine that some people just don’t have it in the first place.

I think about food when my body tells me I’m hungry and I’m not all that bothered about what I eat. It just needs to stop me feeling hungry and be nice enough that I can carry on with other stuff. I still enjoy good food and lovely meals and can happily feast on occasions, but every day food doesn’t need to be anything special or do more than fill a gap. So at an individual level, it is just fuel.

Rosenkohle · 19/02/2025 17:03

You don’t say 😂😂

Obviously some people overeat. They eat more than their bodies need, so they gain excess weight. That's not exactly rocket science Hmm

Butchyrestingface · 19/02/2025 17:03

LadyKenya · 19/02/2025 17:02

It is not down to other people to do anything. You have choices, just like everyone else.

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Oh dry up. 😂

Member869894 · 19/02/2025 17:03

Talk about stating the bloody obvious

Butchyrestingface · 19/02/2025 17:02

Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:59

It is not for anybody else to do anything about it. It is your choice.

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Yes, genius. I'm aware. But one assumes you posted your OP not simply because you're just another garden variety, fat-shaming shit stirrer, but are looking for some sort of insight into the issue that might eventually lead to change?

LadyKenya · 19/02/2025 17:02

Butchyrestingface · 19/02/2025 16:57

I struggle to lose weight because food tastes better than thin feels.

Not sure what anyone can do about that.

It is not down to other people to do anything. You have choices, just like everyone else.

FannyBawz · 19/02/2025 17:01

Food is a hobby for many especially meeee BUT I realised my own greedy ways stem from sensation seeking above anything else so I now seek to replace it through more productive means

I have ADHD and constantly seek stimuli

Original poster
Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:59

Butchyrestingface · 19/02/2025 16:57

I struggle to lose weight because food tastes better than thin feels.

Not sure what anyone can do about that.

It is not for anybody else to do anything about it. It is your choice.

OP posts:
Fedup1978 · 19/02/2025 16:58

Groundbreaking OP
Also, water is wet

Butchyrestingface · 19/02/2025 16:57

I struggle to lose weight because food tastes better than thin feels.

Not sure what anyone can do about that.

Original poster
Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:56

Whoarethoseguys · 19/02/2025 16:54

Food has never been just fuel. I can't think of a time when it was. Even in biblical times eating together was a social occasion the food wasn't just food.
A Celebration feast with special food is the norm in all cultures.
If food was just seen as fuel we would've have the variety of recipes we have.and we wouldn't have special meals for weddings, birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc

Yes that is acknowledged in my OP.

OP posts:
GogoGobo · 19/02/2025 16:54

What a big reveal OP!

Whoarethoseguys · 19/02/2025 16:54

Food has never been just fuel. I can't think of a time when it was. Even in biblical times eating together was a social occasion the food wasn't just food.
A Celebration feast with special food is the norm in all cultures.
If food was just seen as fuel we would've have the variety of recipes we have.and we wouldn't have special meals for weddings, birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc

ThatSchoolOfficeLady · 19/02/2025 16:53

Making eating pleasurable and making fatty/high energy foods desirable is as basic to survival as breathing.

Hibernatingtilspring · 19/02/2025 16:52

Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:48

I don't think it is magic but I do think some people can be out of tune with their bodies and emotions which can lead to overeating.

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Again, I'm struggling to see your point. You're sharing one small part of a very complex subject as though its new. It's not new. It's common knowledge. Along with multitudes of other factors some of which are mentioned on here - genes, food availability, food quality, marketing, time pressures, stress, poor sleep... There are hundreds of factors in obesity.

Do you really think this aspect is one that other people - including those who are overweight - hadn't thought about?

And do you think that having this knowledge means that it's straightforward for them to change it?

Tagyoureit · 19/02/2025 16:52

Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:48

I don't think it is magic but I do think some people can be out of tune with their bodies and emotions which can lead to overeating.

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You heard it here first!!

Fat bodies just need tuning up!!!

🙄

Original poster
Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:49

GoldenGumballs · 19/02/2025 16:47

Of course it’s not just fuel we are not machines, neither do we just have sex when we want to procreate. We are much more complex.
If it were fuel why the plethora of foodie programmes cooking very complicated versions of simple fuel.
I for one hate Saturday morning TV as there’s no escape from food & booze.

Yes that is acknowledged in my OP.

OP posts:
Original poster
Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:48

Hibernatingtilspring · 19/02/2025 16:47

But what is your point OP?

Are you suggesting that people should magically know exactly how much fuel they need, and exactly how to stick to it, in order to avoid weight issues? Do you seriously think that is all under conscious control?

I might start a thread about how sad it is that some people are incapable of using their brains.

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I don't think it is magic but I do think some people can be out of tune with their bodies and emotions which can lead to overeating.

OP posts:
GoldenGumballs · 19/02/2025 16:47

Of course it’s not just fuel we are not machines, neither do we just have sex when we want to procreate. We are much more complex.
If it were fuel why the plethora of foodie programmes cooking very complicated versions of simple fuel.
I for one hate Saturday morning TV as there’s no escape from food & booze.

Hibernatingtilspring · 19/02/2025 16:47

Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:41

Of course and that is acknowledged in my OP.

The problem is when it leads to weight issues.

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But what is your point OP?

Are you suggesting that people should magically know exactly how much fuel they need, and exactly how to stick to it, in order to avoid weight issues? Do you seriously think that is all under conscious control?

I might start a thread about how sad it is that some people are incapable of using their brains.

Original poster
Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:42

LazyArsedMagician · 19/02/2025 15:52

You're not wrong, but it's not exactly revolutionary is it? I think it's been known for a long time that people overeat for many different reasons.

What an absolutely joyless life it would be if food were only for fuel.

I do acknowledge in my OP that it is about more than just fuel.

OP posts:
Original poster
Hiptobe · 19/02/2025 16:41

Hibernatingtilspring · 19/02/2025 15:42

When has food ever been just for fuel?
It's been part of our social structure for centuries.

Of course and that is acknowledged in my OP.

The problem is when it leads to weight issues.

OP posts:
Screamingabdabz · 19/02/2025 16:40

Tagyoureit · 19/02/2025 16:07

Is this just another fatty bashing thread disguised, yet again, as some sort of faux concern about something?

Of course it is. God, those disgusting worthless face-stuffers… Why do we have to look at their big disgusting bodies and how can we try to understand why they continue to offend us with their mere existence.

Thats what the op means.

🙄

Miaowzabella · 19/02/2025 16:39

GooseberryBeret · 19/02/2025 16:09

If someone says ‘food is just fuel’ I think that sounds incredibly sad, if they really derive no enjoyment from it. I’m not an over eater or a comfort eater, but from authentic curries to properly ripe fruit or freshly cooked bread, from posh restaurant food to a cheese toastie made slightly pissed late at night as a student, food is about pleasure, not just fuel!

It is sad, but there is no point in trying to describe the cultural or social or purely hedonistic aspects of food to the minority who don't 'get it'; it's like trying to explain to a colour-blind person why a sunset is beautiful.

RickiRaccoon · 19/02/2025 16:28

That's true though the people close to me who really, truly struggle with weight just choose to ignore basic nutrition facts (they're all smart so they do know it) and won't accept they need to eat less calorie-dense food to lose weight.

eg My family member said he was hungry because he didn't have any lunch after I'd seen him eat a whole packet of potato chips. That didn't count as 'lunch'. Salads or dinners packed with veges are not for them because they are not real food or not satisfying or "rabbit food". There's a lot of cheeky pastries or biscuits as snacks.

It's a fundamental shift to accepting what you realistically need to eat if you want to be smaller and they don't want to do it.